Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls balance the integrity of the roll against inclusion of voters. Critically examine this with reference to the Bihar SIR, 2025.

The Election Commission (EC) ordered Bihar's first intensive roll revision since 2003 under Article 324 and Section 21 of the RP Act, 1950 [1]. Its motto was "no eligible voter left out, no ineligible person included" [3]. Bihar shows that the balance can be struck. However, much of it came through judicial correction rather than by design.

Integrity: what the SIR achieved

• Roll clean-up: the draft roll of 1 August 2025 had 7.24 crore electors. About 65 lakh entries were dropped, mostly dead or permanently shifted voters [2].
• Article 326 compliance: only citizens aged 18 or above on the qualifying date (1 July 2025) were enrolled [3]. Section 16, RP Act 1950 bars non-citizens from the roll [4].
• Judicial validation: in ADR v. ECI (2026 INSC 564), the Supreme Court upheld the SIR as proportionate. It found a rational link to an accurate roll, held the process was not excessive, and said the Rule 21A notice-and-hearing safeguards were preserved in substance [4].

Inclusion: where it fell short

• Net figures hide gross exclusion: 21.53 lakh names were added and 3.66 lakh removed after the draft [3]. Even so, the final roll of 7.42 crore is about 47 lakh smaller than the pre-SIR roll [2][3]. That gap could be dead or migrated voters, or eligible voters without documents.
• Documentation burden: citizenship-linked proof falls hardest on migrants and the poor. Aadhaar became the 12th accepted document only through a court order of 8 September 2025 [4].
• Risk of citizenship overreach: the Court held that the EC may form only a prima facie view. The final decision rests with the Competent Authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955 [4].
• Timing: revising the whole roll months before an Assembly election shortened the window for claims and objections.

Way forward

• Refer every citizenship-based deletion to the Competent Authority within four weeks, and decide each case before the next election [4].
• Include Aadhaar acceptance and reasoned, searchable deletion lists in SIR procedures from day one.
• Provide free legal aid so wrongly deleted voters can seek judicial review [4].

The Bihar SIR secured roll integrity lawfully, but much of the inclusion came through court intervention. Future revisions should build these safeguards in from the start, so that accuracy never costs eligible voters their names. This honours Article 326's promise of universal adult franchise and SDG 16.7's goal of inclusive, representative decision-making.